Clothes tree



G. BUSHKO CLOTHES TREE May 10, 1949.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 15, 1945 nmmu I I I i y 1949- G. BUSHKO 2,469,494

CLOTHES TREE Filed May 15, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA A I ul'llim m w a ll \numnllullwl m J H {In 52 I 47/ fZ ENTOR. GeorgeBms iw.

Patented May 10, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention appertalns to clothes trees and has for its primary object to provide one of a novel construction which adapts it for use either indoor, in the home or ofiice, or outdoor, in camps or the like.

Another object of the invention has to do with the provision of a clothes tree of the kind specified, which is made collapsible or knockdown, to permit of its parts being closely packed or stored, for convenience and ease in transportation during travel, and readily and quickly setup for use upon arrival at ones destination.

A further object of the invention lies in the provision of interchangeable footings for the clothes tree as above characterized, one of the same taking the form of a floor-stand for supporting the tree indoors and the other, the form of a ground-stake for supporting the tree out-ofdoors, particularly when camping on rough and uneven ground.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, the invention resides in the certain new and useful combination, construction, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, set forth in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the clothes tree as it appears when setup on its ground footing;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same as it appears when setup on its floor footing or stand;

Figure 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical section, showing the lower section of the clothes tree having the ground-stake completely housed therein mounted upon a floor base;

Figure 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side elevation, showing the key-hole openings to receive the bolt fastenings for a shoe supporting member or bracket;

Figure 5 is an exploded view, in perspective, of the parts forming the upper portion of the clothes tree, the upper end of the lowermost part being in section;

Figure 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical section, taken through the upper end portion of the clothes tree assembly, showing the positions of the parts when the wearing apparel supporting elements or fingers are extended for use;

Figure '7 is a view similar to that of Figure 6, but showing the positions of the parts when the wearing apparel supporting elements or fingers are retracted into receiving slots formed in the bole or standard; and

Figure 8 is another similar view tothat of Figure 6, but taken at right angles thereto, to showthe use of identical wearing apparel supporting elements or fingers at opposite sides of the standard or bole, as distinguished from the use of the dissimilar ones shown in Figure 6.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views, the clothes tree, as it is exemplified therein, is comprised generally in a hollow bole or standard which is preferably rectangular in cross-section, open at its upper and lower ends, and made to provide a lower section Ill and an upper section I4, joined together, in end to end relation, by a slip joint, formed by the telescoping of the lower end of the upper section l4 over a reduced portion l2, formed at the upper end of the lower section ID. The top end of the upper section I4 is closed by a removable cap I6 that is normally secured inplace by a pair of oppositely disposed screws l8.

As shown in Figure 1, the hole or standard, as thus constituted, is to be setup for out-of-door use, by having the bottom end of the lower section l0 engaged over the top end of a groundstake 2B, which has its lower end pointed,-as: at

22, to facilitate ground penetration, under a, force applied to the top end of the stake. The boleor standard is secured in upright position onthe stake 20, by means of a screw 26, threaded inwardly of an aperture formed in one side of the lower section [0 and an aligned-bore 24 (Figure 3), formed horizontally through the stake 20;

the screw-threaded end of the screw, after passing entirely through thebore 24, engaging in an aperture formed in the opposite side of the lower section; the latter aperture, alone, being screw threaded, whilethe other aperture is formed with a counter-sink to seat the headed end of the screw. When not in use, the ground-stake 20 is to be completely housed within the lower section It, upon the removal of the screw 26 and its reinsertion through the aligned apertures, be-- has its lower end provided with a cross-bar 32" having upturned ends 34,- engaged in recesses 3 formed in the wall of the bore, substantially as shown in Figure 3. A winged screw 36 is preferably mounted in the socket part 28 to hold the bole or standard rigid in its upright position. By this arrangement of interchangeable bases, and the housing of the ground-stake 20 within the lower section of the bole or standard during the indoor use of the clothes tree, the latter is always in readiness for removal and use out-ofdoors, requiring only the detachment of the floor base and, if desired to facilitate packing for transportation, the separation of the bole or standard sections Hi and l4. 7

To support articles of wearing apparel, or the usual hangers therefor, on the bole or standard, finger-like elements 38 are provided adjacent the top end of the upper section I4, one at each side of the same, and they are so mounted as to be simultaneously retracted, from their normal working positions at right angles to the hole or standard, into vertical slots 40, formed in the upper section It, when the latter is put in place on the lower section ill. To this end, a tubular member 44, also rectangular in cross-section, is slidably mounted within the bole or standard section l4 and is provided with a vertical slot 46 in each of its sides and which opens through its top end, substantially as shown, Each of the slots 46 is spanned, toward its lower end, by a pivot pin 42, engaged by the inner end of a respective one of the fingers 38 which, when projected outwardly of the slots 40 and into their horizontal working positions, rest on the bottoms of the latter, The inner end of each of the fingers 38, adjacent its pivot pin 42, is shouldered, as at 48, to provide a bearing surface for the lower free end of a fiat spring 59, which has its upper end secured, by rivets or the like 52, to a wall of the bole or standard section M, in line with and above the upper end of a respective slot 48, the length and width of each of the springs 50 being such as to substantially close the slot, above the pivoted end of the finger with which it cooperates. The free end of each of the springs 50 is preferably curved inwardly to a slight degree, so that the shoulder 48 of a respective finger 33 will exert a cam-like action thereon, in the movement of the finger to and from its projected working position; the action of the spring being to expedite the movement of the finger outwardly of its slot 49, in its rebound from flexed state caused by the inward pressure on its curved free end of the shoulder during the aforesaid finger movement.

Extending horizontally through the slide member 44, in line with and slightly below the lower ends of an opposite pair of the slots 46, is a bar or rod 56, which is engaged at its center by the upper end of a coiled spring 58 that has its lower end similarly engaged with a cross member, that may take the form of the screw 56, extending horizontally through the bole or standard section 14 and the slide member 44, at a distance below and parallel to the bar or rod 56. The cross member or screw 60 is engaged with slots 62, formed in the opposite side walls of the slide member 44, which are disposed in vertical alignment with and below the respective one of the slots 48 and of a length to limit the movement of the slide member only in that amount necessary to actuate the fingers 38 from and to their normally retracted positions within the slots 40. Thus, when the upper bole or standard section I4 is separated from the lower section Ill, the coiled spring 58 contracts and pulls the slide member 44 to its lower position, which position is determined by the upper ends of the slots 62 engaging the cross member 63. In this lower position of the slide member 44, the lower ends of the slots 46 are positioned below the like ends of the slots 40 and the fingers 3d are retracted into the latter slots.

Now, when the upper section i4 is fitted onto the upper reduced end portion E2, of the lower section Iii, the lower end of the slide member 44 is forced against the end of the reduced portion l2 which, in turn, forces the slide member 44 upwardly within the upper section it to the limit of the length of the slots 62. With this movement of the slide member 44, the coiled spring 53 is expanded and the fingers 38 are swung outwardly from the slots 40 to their horizontal working positions; the swinging movements of the fingers being effected by the inner edges of the bottoms of the slots 46 serving as fulcrums for the same and the rebound of the flat springs 50, after being flexed inwardly by the movements of the shoulders 48 past the lower curved ends 52 thereof, exerting an outward pressure thereon.

In addition to the provision of the garment suspension fingers 38, the bole or standard is equipped with a supporting bracket 64 for shoes and, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, it is preferably in the form of an oblong frame and made from a single length of wire of a proper gauge to give the frame a substantial rigidity. The frame, when employed, is to be engaged over the lower bole or standard section Hi, preferably toward the lower end thereof, and is removably secured in place, by means of clamp plates 86, each of which has its inner surface provided with a horizontal groove to engage over the central portion of one of the longer sides of the frame. Each of these clamp plates 66 carries a pair of headed rivets 68, one above and one below the groove, with the outer heads of the rivets countersunk in the outer surface of the plate and the inner heads of substantially cylindrical formation and spaced outwardly from the adjacent side of the plate, to facilitate the passage of the same through the circular openings of a pair of key-hole slots H1, formed in each of the opposite sides of the lower section Iii. The clamp plates 68 are prefer-ably mounted on the lower section lil in vertically offset relation with respect to each other, in order to support the frame '54 at an angle to the floor or ground level and to permit a pair of shoes being placed thereon, one shoe to each side of the lower section Ill, with the heels engaged over the higher longer side of the frame and the toe portions resting on the lower longer side. Thus, by hooking the heels of the shoes over the higher side of the frame 64, accidental displacement of the shoes from their supported positions is minimized. To permit of the ground-stake 2|) being inserted to fully housed position within the lower section Iii, of the bole or standard, grooves 20' are formed in opposite sides of the same to clear the inner headed ends of the rivets 68, carried by the clamp plates 66 of the shoe supporting bracket 64.

In the use of the costumer or clothes tree, thus provided, and with its parts in assembly as shown in Figure 2, it may be quickly dismantled by first removing the upper section d4, of the bole or standard, from the lower section it; then removing the shoe bracket 64 from the lower section in by an upward pull on the bracket to free the rivets 65, carried by the clamp plates 66, from the key-hole slots H3, and lifting the frame from the upper end of the lower section; and thereafter,

lifting the lower section 10 from the socket part 26, of the floor stand, subsequent to the loosening up or" the winged screw 36. With the removal of the upper section M, the coiled spring 56 simultaneously contracts from its previously expanded state, as shown in Figure 6, and exerts a downward pull on the slide member 44 which, in turn, swings the fingers 38 inwardly of the slots 40, in the upper section I, to the positions as shown in Figure 7. To set clothes tree up out-of-doors, as when camping, and in the absence of a hard supporting surface or fioor, the ground-stake 20 will first be removed from the lower section ill, of the bole or standard, and then driven, or otherwise forced, into the ground, as shown in Figure 1, following which, the lower and upper sections I and I4, and the shoe bracket 64, will be brought into assembly thereon, as before stated. To remove the groundstake 20 from its housed position within the lower section 10, the screw :26 is first removed and thereafter is replaced to secure the lower section in place on the ground-stake 20, it being now passed through the opening 24 in the latter to that end.

Without further description, it is thought to be obvious that the invention, in its disclosed form, provides a convenient and useful adjunct to household or camping equipment, and that its novel construction and arrangement of parts readily permits of its quick assembly and dismantling for convenience and ease in packing for storage, or transportation from one place of use to another. Also, it is to be understood that changes in design and minor details of construction and arrangement of the parts of the disclosed embodiment, may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or its scope as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. A clothes tree comprising a hollow bole including separable sections movable into interfitting relation with respect to each other, a ground-stake housed within the lower end of said bole, withdrawable retaining means for holding said ground-stake in place within said hole, there being a plurality of slots in one of said sections and spaced from each other, a plurality of spaced garment supporting fingers mounted for extensile and contractile movement within said one section, said fingers being arranged so that a finger is complemental to each of said slots, and means in one of said sections operatively connected to said supporting fingers for causing contractile movement of the latter upon actuation of said one section out of interfitting relation with the other of said sections and for causing extensile movement of the fingers upon actuation of said one section into inter-fitting relation with the other of said sections.

2. A clothes tree comprising a hollow bole including separable sections movable into interfitting relation with respect to each other, a ground-stake housed within the lower end of said bole, withdrawable retaining means for holding said ground-stake in place within said bole, there being a plurality of slots in one of said sections and spaced from each other, a plurality of spaced garment supporting fingers mounted for extensile and contractile movement within said one section, said fingers being arranged so that a finger is complemental to each of said slots, means in one of said sections operatively connected to said supporting fingers for causing contractile movement of the latter upon actuation of said one section out of inter-fitting relation with the other of said sections and for causing extensile movement of the fingers upon actuation of said one section into inter-fitting relation with the other of said sections, said retaining means upon being withdrawn permitting the ground-stake to be removed and set up in the ground and to have its upper end engaged in the lower end of the bole and secured thereto upon replacement of said retaining means.

GEORGE BUSHKO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 334,656 Goodyer et a1 Jan. 19, 1886 604,428 Shields May 24, 1898 724,582 Jones Apr. 7, 1903 773,787 Crossman et al Nov. 1, 1904 1,042,262 Pelletier Oct. 22, 1912 1,047,694 Pelletier Dec. 17, 1912 1,391,001 Moore Sept, 20, 1921 1,631,227 See June 7, 1927 1,729,395 Mandel Sept. 24, 1929 1,824,578 Thake Sept. 22, 1931 

